American Dreaming

Product notities

It was 2002 when Shawn and Seth asked me to produce this album. They had harbored rock-star dreams since their college days together and had a batch of songs ready to roll with more coming every day. The only problem? They were not musicians. They gave me a tape and asked me to be their band. I said I'd listen and think about it. The tape, recorded a capella in the break room at Seth's work, made a couple things clear. One: in addition to not being musicians, they were not singers. Two: in spite of it all, they had some great, fun songs. I invited them into the studio to talk about it and they barreled in, full of braggadocio and naiveté and enthusiasm. They wanted a full-blown production, a kind of 'Simon and Garfunkel meets Toad the Wet Sprocket.' They wanted rock, and they wanted me to play all the instruments. I didn't even own an electric guitar. It would be a learning experience for us all. As I put the finishing touches on this project it's hard to believe the changes in seven years. Seth has moved from scooping ice cream to scooping stories as a full-time reporter. He has a wife. Kids. His focus is no longer on conquering the world as a musical legend. As for me, I have two kids now and have traveled far and wide these past few years playing my own music. But the biggest changes, by far, have fallen on Shawn. Shawn is Po-Kaifu. This album wouldn't be here without his drive. As Seth's interest wandered, Shawn kept the pieces in motion, recording and re-recording his parts until he was satisfied, constantly pushing for sounds that fit his vision. He taught himself to play guitar and composed his own music for a number of songs (a job that had fallen to me on earlier tracks). He achieved his long-held goal of playing - not just singing - on the album. Then, in 2006, Shawn suffered three inexplicable and devastating strokes. His life since then has been painful rehabilitation, and he is still climbing a steep slope of recovery. His guitar skills are gone. The lyrics to all of his songs have been erased from his memory. He has lost sight in one eye, and has only recently begun to walk without a cane. As he recovered his independence, his mind turned again to finishing up the album. In late 2008, we began to pull the pieces together, and we are proud to present them now. As a result of his medical ordeal, Shawn dedicates this album to his parents, who visited him in the hospital daily, and to Jillian Stasiak, Shawn's girlfriend at the time who dedicated tremendous time and energy to his recovery despite the fact that she was working to complete a master's degree program at the time.

It was 2002 when Shawn and Seth asked me to produce this album. They had harbored rock-star dreams since their college days together and had a batch of songs ready to roll with more coming every day. The only problem? They were not musicians. They gave me a tape and asked me to be their band. I said I'd listen and think about it. The tape, recorded a capella in the break room at Seth's work, made a couple things clear. One: in addition to not being musicians, they were not singers. Two: in spite of it all, they had some great, fun songs. I invited them into the studio to talk about it and they barreled in, full of braggadocio and naiveté and enthusiasm. They wanted a full-blown production, a kind of 'Simon and Garfunkel meets Toad the Wet Sprocket.' They wanted rock, and they wanted me to play all the instruments. I didn't even own an electric guitar. It would be a learning experience for us all. As I put the finishing touches on this project it's hard to believe the changes in seven years. Seth has moved from scooping ice cream to scooping stories as a full-time reporter. He has a wife. Kids. His focus is no longer on conquering the world as a musical legend. As for me, I have two kids now and have traveled far and wide these past few years playing my own music. But the biggest changes, by far, have fallen on Shawn. Shawn is Po-Kaifu. This album wouldn't be here without his drive. As Seth's interest wandered, Shawn kept the pieces in motion, recording and re-recording his parts until he was satisfied, constantly pushing for sounds that fit his vision. He taught himself to play guitar and composed his own music for a number of songs (a job that had fallen to me on earlier tracks). He achieved his long-held goal of playing - not just singing - on the album. Then, in 2006, Shawn suffered three inexplicable and devastating strokes. His life since then has been painful rehabilitation, and he is still climbing a steep slope of recovery. His guitar skills are gone. The lyrics to all of his songs have been erased from his memory. He has lost sight in one eye, and has only recently begun to walk without a cane. As he recovered his independence, his mind turned again to finishing up the album. In late 2008, we began to pull the pieces together, and we are proud to present them now. As a result of his medical ordeal, Shawn dedicates this album to his parents, who visited him in the hospital daily, and to Jillian Stasiak, Shawn's girlfriend at the time who dedicated tremendous time and energy to his recovery despite the fact that she was working to complete a master's degree program at the time.